Tribological performance of ZrO2 nanoparticles as friction and wear reduction additives in aviation lubricant

High-performance aircraft engines require superior aviation oils to enhance their lubricating performance and prolong service life. Addition of nano-sized ceramic particles has been considered as a useful way to improve the tribological performance of base fluids. Up to now, few previous studies focused on the tribological properties of ZrO2 nanoparticles in aviation oil. The current study dispersed ZrO2 nanoparticles into PAO20 aviation base oil as lubricant additives. A dual-step method comprised of physical blending and ultrasonic dispersing was applied in the preparation of ZrO2 nanofluids. Oleic acid was utilized as surfactant to enhance the stability of ZrO2 nanofluids. Ball-on-plate reciprocating sliding wear tests were conducted to obtain the coefficient of friction and wear volumes. It was found that the PAO20 base oil produced the highest coefficient of friction of 0.278 and wear volumes of 2.305 × 10−2 mm3. 5 wt% ZrO2 nanofluids with 5 wt% oleic acid showed the best lubricating performance. The coefficient of friction was reduced by 31.29%, and wear volume was reduced by 42.95%. In the examination of wear tracks, a physically embedded tribo-layer of ZrO2 nanoparticles and an oleic acid tribo-film with low shearing resistance were formed, which lowered the friction, and protected the mating surfaces against abrasive and adhesive wear. The results obtained in this study have applicable values in the development of high-performance aviation lubricants.